Cat Watson: Preseason is upon us

Preseason is upon us once again. We are gearing up for a quieter-ish, more spacious, hopefully not rainy February without Dad. Preseason is preceded by off-season, it’s exact opposite. We go from loads of time together to next to none in a matter of days. It starts with physicals and team meetings and quickly goes full force to two-a-days and team trips that are two weeks long. While it’s exhausting for the guys and we see less of our men, it’s still something that I think everybody is ready for. You can only have so much time off before you start feeling antsy. And I don’t have to cook as much in February, so at least there’s a tradeoff.

It can be lonely, and long, especially as a newcomer. Last year that was me. In fact, tomorrow will mark one year since our arrival in Vancouver. It’s amazing the difference a year can make. Last year at this time I was packing frantically while getting ready to fly cross country with a 9 month old and a 2 year old. I had no idea what Vancouver would be like, or how it would work out for us. I didn’t know if I would find friends. I was optimistic though, and luckily my intuition proved to be true as Vancouver has treated us well. So thank you, Vancouver, because now this preseason will not be as lonely.

It won’t be as lonely due to the friends we’ve made, the church we go to, the other soccer wives who are in the same boat, house projects, Evelyn’s preschool days, the downtown library, apartment neighbors, trips to Whole Foods and walks outside. Some days I fee like my life is super hard and stressful, but then I read that list and realize I probably just complain too much. Our lives have been made full. There are good days and bad days, and there will surely be a mix of both during preseason, but who escapes that reality? What I’m realizing more and more is that contentment and joy are choices, and I can either choose to embrace this preseason and take advantage of all the fullness we’ve been blessed with, or I can choose to wallow that my husband is gone for a handful of days and I might have to take the trash out more. There are worse things.

Besides, if preseason goes as quickly as off-season did, it’ll be over in a snap and before I know it I’ll be back to cooking on a regular basis.

Cat Watson
Wifey to 'Caps player, Matt Watson. Mommy to Evelyn and Theo. Cook, maid and laundry lady to the aforementioned parties. Oh, and I take pictures. And blog. (www.catwatson.com.)